Superhero
by nibblesfics
Summary: When Ethan gets called to the scene of an RTC involving a school bus full of children, a rash decision made in the heat of the moment may end up causing more harm than good.
1. Chapter 1

Charlie sighed as he hung up the red phone.

"Alright, there's been a major RTC involving a truck and a school bus; roughly thirty children are currently trapped. The paramedics are getting ready to go right now, but we'll also need a doctor to go to the site."

"I'll go!" Ethan and Cal volunteered simultaneously.

Charlie gave a small chuckle at their synchronised enthusiasm, and said, "Either of you will do. Sort it out between yourselves- quickly, please."

Ethan and Cal turned to each other, narrowing their eyes slightly as they each waited for the other to back down.

After a moment's pause, Ethan suggested, "Rock paper scissors?"

Cal sniggered slightly at his brother's immaturity, but then put his fist out.

"Rock, paper, scissors!"

Ethan threw out a paper, whilst Cal played a rock. Ethan grinned, pleased with his victory.

"Alright, go ahead and suit up then, Ethan." Charlie smiled.

"Best of three?" Cal called after Ethan in vain as he hurried off to the staff room to get changed.

* * *

"You ready to get going, mate?" Iain asked Ethan as he entered the ambulance station.

He smiled and nodded in reply.

The drive there was fairly short, and they soon pulled up at the scene of the accident on the motorway.

Ethan sucked in a small breath of surprise at the sight of the crash. It was definitely on the worse end of the spectrum; by the looks of it the school bus had hurtled straight into the side of the truck at full speed.

The chief of the team of firemen at the site soon came up to the paramedics and Ethan.

"Alright, the driver of the truck has already been extracted and is on his way to the hospital now-"

"What about the kids? Why haven't the children been extracted yet?" Ethan asked, frowning in concern. Although they were standing quite far from the bus, he could just make out the distressed children through the windows of the bus.

"The thing is, there are very large amounts of petrol leaking from the bus- a single spark from the wreck could set off an explosion. With the amount of fuel everywhere, we're taking about a pretty huge explosion too."

"Surely that's even more reason that we should get them out of there as soon as possible?" Ethan interjected.

The fire chief sighed, obviously annoyed at Ethan's continuous questioning.

"We can't let anyone go anywhere near the wreck until it's stable and we're sure that it won't just result in more injuries and deaths-"

"No- you said it yourself, that bus is a ticking time bomb, and you're happy to just leave those children in there to die?" Ethan argued.

"Look, there's no other choice, I can't let any of my team risk their lives by going near-"

He was cut off by Ethan turning and walking briskly towards the wreck.

"Hey! HEY! What do you think you're doing?!" He yelled angrily.

"You said you aren't willing to let your team go in there- so I'll go instead." Ethan stated simply, not even bothering to turn around to face him.

Iain ran over to him and grabbed his arm, "Ethan- you heard him. It's not safe in there."

"Even more reason why the children should be taken out of there right now."

"Come on Ethan, you know you're going against policy-"

"Well, that's my problem. I'll deal with the consequences."

Iain sighed as he realised that there was no changing the stubborn young doctor's mind.

"I... Alright then. Just be careful, and get out at the first sign of danger. Okay?"

Ethan nodded briefly and began to run towards the semi-destroyed bus. As he approached the front of the bus, he soon caught sight of the reason why they were trapped. The door of the bus was warped and had twisted in such a way that it couldn't be opened with the handle.

Ethan sighed and ran a hand through his hair, eventually deciding that brute force was the only way to get the door open.

 _If only Cal was here_ _; brute force is his specialty,_ Ethan thought to himself with a wry smile.

He positioned his fingers around the warped metal and pulled back as hard as he could, using all his weight to lean backwards. After a few seconds, the metal gave a huge creak and the door bent and swung open.

Immediately a few of the non-injured children ran out of the bus, crying and sniffling. Ethan paused for a second, wondering if he should help them to safety, but they seemed to be heading to the other paramedics fine, and there were more pressing matters currently.

He carefully entered the bus, horribly aware of the fact that the entire bus wobbled and creaked with each movement.

Many of the children's seatbelts had become jammed or locked on during the crash, and Ethan wasted no time in wrenching the seatbelts off to free the small children. Around a third of them had injuries of some kind, mostly superficial, but Ethan made sure to carry them out and run to hastily hand them over to a paramedic or fireman before rushing back to the bus.

Within ten or so minutes, Ethan had managed to get most of the children out to safety. The paramedics were busy looking after and treating them. At last, there were only two more children left in the back of the bus.

Once more, Ethan entered the bus. He was horribly aware of the fact that the wreck was continuing to become more and more unstable.

He assessed the situation when he reached the back of the bus: there was one boy whose arm was trapped by a bent piece of metal, and one girl who seemed to have a leg injury and was sobbing and panicking.

He stood there for a second, torn between who to help first.

Eventually he turned to the girl and pulled her seatbelt off. She was still crying and gasping for breath.

"I need you to try to calm down for me, okay?" Ethan said soothingly, "What's your name?"

"M-Mia," The girl managed to get out between sobs.

"Okay, you're going to be just fine Mia. Try to take deep breaths for me; copy my breathing," he said, taking her tiny hand and placing it on his chest.

A few moments later, Mia's breathing was almost back to normal, and she had calmed down considerably.

"Well done," Ethan praised, putting on a smile in an attempt to keep her calm.

He then turned to the boy, "What's your name?"

"Thomas," the boy whispered, his eyes filled with tears of pain.

"Okay, Thomas, I know it hurts, but just stay still for me, alright? We'll get you out of here in no time- I promise it'll all be fine."

"A-Are you a superhero?" Thomas asked, sniffling, his eyes wide.

Ethan opened his mouth to reply in the negative, but then stopped himself. A child would probably feel more safe in the hands of a superhero than a doctor.

"I... Yes. I'm a superhero, and I've come to make sure that you and Mia will be safe. I'm staying right here with you until you can get out, I'm not going anywhere." Ethan said comfortingly.

To Ethan's surprise, Thomas shook his head violently.

"No- don't stay here. Get Mia out and make her better please." He said.

Ethan stared at him for a second. To be very honest, it would probably be at least another half hour before Thomas' arm could be freed- and that's not considering the fact that the bus could blow up at any given moment. Logically speaking, it would make sense to get Mia out first as soon as possible.

"Are... Are you sure that you don't mind being alone for a little bit whilst I get Mia out?" Ethan asked.

Thomas gave a small nod, "I'll be okay."

"...Alright. You're extremely brave, Thomas, you know that?"

Thomas managed a small smile through his tears.

Ethan turned to Mia.

"Okay, this may hurt your leg a bit, but the only way I can get you out of here is to carry you. Is that okay, Mia?" Ethan inquired anxiously.

"Y-Yes..." Mia said, her voice wobbling as she held back her tears.

"Good girl. I'll try to be as gentle as possible."

Ethan slowly scooped her up in his arms, taking extreme care not to jostle her leg. He left the bus as hastily as he could without hurting Mia.

When he had exited, he noticed that yellow tape had been set up in a large radius around the wreck- presumably to keep people a large distance away from the bus if or when it exploded.

"Ethan! Over here!" He heard Iain's voice coming from just behind the tape.

He hurried over, ducked under the yellow tape and handed Mia over to Iain.

"Alright, this is Mia, she has a suspected break to the femur, pulse is stable-"

He stopped abruptly when he realised that Iain wasn't listening to a word he was saying- his eyes were fixed on something over Ethan's shoulder. Ethan turned around, a pit of dread opening in his stomach.

The bus was on fire.

Without a second thought, Ethan began sprinting towards the burning bus.

"Ethan! ETHAN!" Iain yelled desperately, "ETHAN! GET BACK! IT'S GOING TO EXPLODE!"

The words barely registered to Ethan- he didn't care. The only thing he cared about in that moment was the fact there was a little boy called Thomas trapped in the back of a burning bus. A burning bus that could explode at any second.

He sprinted faster than he even knew he could. He skidded round the corner of the wreck and ran straight into the bus without a second's hesitation.

As he entered it, a huge flame licked up the side of his leg, immediately burning away part of his uniform and scorching the flesh underneath it. But he barely felt it- the adrenaline was pumping too hard, and his thoughts were too focused on Thomas.

The smoke in the bus was thick and suffocating, mixed with the fumes of petrol. He coughed and spluttered, unable to get any oxygen into his lungs.

Through all of this, he still pushed forwards towards the back of the bus, ignoring the flames licking at his arms and legs.

"Thomas?!" He called out desperately, his voice strained from the smoke.

"Help me..." A small voice cried in the distance.

Ethan's legs were almost beginning to give out from the severe burns, but he forced himself to keep going. He had to get to Thomas.

He staggered forwards blindly, the smoke obscuring his vision and filling his throat. Finally he could just make out a small figure slumped at the back of the bus. He willed himself to keep going, he was only a few metres away now, just a bit more-

 _BANG_.

A white hot pain ripped through Ethan's body, so intense that he was completely unaware of anything else around him. He couldn't focus on anything but the pain. In that moment, he wished for nothing more than to just die and be spared of the agony.

He felt himself get thrown by the explosion at huge speed- he was flung straight through a window of the bus, the glass shattering and embedding itself in his body, adding even more to the pain that he thought surely couldn't get any worse.

As he was flung from the bus at breakneck speed, he glimpsed something hurtling towards him and felt it lodge itself in his chest; but he didn't have time to look down at it before he smashed into the ground with a sharp thud, and his vision spun into blackness.


	2. Chapter 2

_BANG_.

Iain froze, rooted to the ground in shock, his mouth hanging open.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

He watched in silent horror as Ethan was blasted through the side window of the bus by the immense force of the explosion; a limp, bloodied body.

He could do nothing but stare as Ethan was flung through the air. A jagged piece of metal that had been ripped from the side of the bus by the explosion hurtled towards Ethan at an alarming speed. Iain sucked in a breath of horror and alarm as it lodged itself deep into Ethan's lower chest.

Finally Ethan slammed into the ground, his shoulder and the side of his head taking the brunt of the impact.

Iain still stood frozen, his mouth dry and his heart pounding in his chest.

"Iain- Iain! Snap out of it, come on!" Jez brought him back to reality, elbowing him and beginning to run towards Ethan's motionless figure.

Almost mechanically, Iain grabbed his medical bag and followed Jez.

By the time Iain got there, Jez was already kneeling by the unconscious Ethan, checking his vitals.

He shook his head grimly, "It's not looking great."

It didn't take a genius to tell that Jez was most certainly correct.

Ethan's arms and legs were severely burned, his skin bloodied and charred. Shards of glass were embedded in his chest and face, and the side of his face was covered in bright red blood from where his head had hit the ground. The piece of metal was lodged deep into his chest, dark blood staining his uniform around it.

"I told him to get back..." Iain whispered, staring at the young doctor lying motionless before him.

Jez, having noticed Iain's trance-like state of shock, took matters into his own hands. He ran over to a nearby ambulance and grabbed a stretcher and neck brace, also taking the opportunity to alert a few other paramedics.

With the help of the other paramedics, Ethan was transferred to the back of the ambulance within a few minutes.

"You alright mate?" Jez asked solemnly, glancing over at Iain whilst attempting to stem the heavy bleeding from Ethan's chest.

The ambulance jolted into life and began speeding towards Holby.

Iain gave a small nod, letting out a shaky breath. Everything had happened so quickly; one minute Ethan was running towards the burning bus, the next he was on the ground, having been blasted out of the bus by the sheer force of the explosion.

The ambulance soon skidded to a stop outside the ED. Jez and Iain wasted no time in shoving the doors open and hastily wheeling Ethan out of the ambulance.

Connie came out of the ED as the ambulance pulled up, ready to treat the next casualty from the crash. She tried and failed to conceal her shock when she realised that it was one of her own doctors lying on the trolley.

"What on earth happened?" She asked, hurrying to Ethan's side.

"The bus' fuel tank was leaking," Iain grimaced, "We were told that nobody was allowed to go near it until they knew it was stable, but Ethan ignored them. He got most of the kids out, but the bus caught on fire and he ran straight back into it, just in time for it to explode."

"Alright... Quick as we can please!" Connie ordered as Ethan was hastily wheeled towards RESUS, composing herself and snapping back into doctor mode.

Ethan was quickly transferred into RESUS, and Connie immediately set to work hooking him up to machines and inserting IVs.

Charlie soon entered RESUS, evidently having been alerted to the fact that one of their own doctors had been brought in as a patient.

"Connie- what happened?"

"Ethan decided to play hero- he ran into a burning bus to try to get a child out; the bus exploded with him in it." Connie said.

"He was _in_ the bus when it exploded?"

"Yeah. He got lucky- well, as lucky as you can get in that situation- and he got thrown through a window away from the explosion." Iain explained.

Charlie nodded, deep in thought, "What about the kids?"

"He got most of them out, but there was one boy left in the bus when it caught on fire."

"I assume he... Didn't make it?" Charlie asked delicately.

Iain shook his head grimly.

"Alright, Charlie, can you alert the burns unit and tell them to prepare for a patient," Connie announced, "He's lost a lot of blood from the shrapnel in his chest, we might need to have a transfusion on standby. Suspected collapsed lung from the force of the shrapnel, as well as broken ribs. It looks like his shoulder took the brunt of the fall, suspected dislocation and multiple fractures. Let's get him to surgery as soon as possible, and I'll arrange an urgent MRI scan for the head trauma."

The doctors and nurses all scurried away immediately, following Connie's orders without hesitation.

"Um, Connie... I'm assuming that no-one has told Cal about this yet?" Charlie asked.

Connie shook her head with a sigh, "He has no idea. He probably thinks that Ethan is still out with the paramedics."

"Alright... Well, someone should go and tell him as soon as possible," Charlie said.

Connie gave him a half hopeful half expectant look, clearly not wanting to be the one to have to deliver the news to Cal.

"Fine," Charlie sighed, "I'll go and tell him then."

"Thanks, Charlie." Connie said with a trace of a smile.

Charlie hurried off to reception, where Noel and Max were standing and chatting.

"You don't happen to know where Cal is, do you?" Charlie asked as he approached reception.

"Cal..." Noel pondered out loud, "He should be in cubicles, I think. Why?"

"There's been a bit of an incident at the RTC." Charlie grimaced.

"The RTC involving the school bus? The one that Ethan was sent to?" Max asked, frowning worriedly.

Charlie nodded and hurried off towards cubicles before any more questions could be asked.

He pulled back a cubicle curtain and peeked around it; sure enough Cal was standing there with Lily assessing a patient with a minor injury.

"Um, Cal, can I have a word with you?" Charlie said.

Cal glanced over at Lily and said, "Sure, I think Doctor Chao has everything under control here."

He peeled off his latex gloves and stepped out of the cubicle with Charlie.

"What's up?" Cal asked.

"I have some news, but... Shall we go somewhere a bit more private first?" Charlie said, sidestepping the question.

He steered the very confused Cal to the staff room, shutting the door behind them.

"There's... There's no easy way to put this, Cal," Charlie began, avoiding eye contact.

"What's going on?" Cal frowned, realising that it must be something serious.

"The RTC that your brother went to earlier today-"

"Charlie, just tell me what happened." Cal interrupted anxiously.

"The petrol tank of the school bus was leaking, and eventually it... Well, exploded." Charlie said, grimacing.

"...Exploded? But... I mean, nobody was injured, right?" Cal asked shakily. Charlie could tell that he already knew what the answer would be.

"Look, Cal... Ethan was in the bus when it exploded. He sustained some very serious injuries, but he's in RESUS now. Connie's treating him- you know that he's in the very best hands." Charlie explained.

Cal stood frozen, staring wide-eyed at Charlie.

"Why... Why was he in the bus? He shouldn't have been in there if it wasn't stable!"

"He was the only one in the bus- he ignored protocol and went in before the risk was eliminated. Iain tried to stop him, but he wasn't having any of it."

"Why did he go in?"

"The children were trapped in there. He got most of them out before the bus exploded." Charlie explained.

Charlie gave Cal a second to let it sink in, watching as panic, worry and fear mingled on his face.

"Where is he? I need to see him- I need to be there." Cal said decisively.

"He's going up to surgery at the moment. It might be a while until you can see him," Charlie said with a sympathetic look.

"Where's Connie? I need to know what's going on," Cal demanded.

"She's probably still in RESUS, but it might not be the best idea-"

Charlie was cut off by Cal rushing out of the room and heading towards RESUS. Charlie sighed and went to follow him.

Cal burst through the doors of RESUS, causing Connie to look up from across the room where she was cleaning up.

"How bad is it, Connie? Just tell me straight." Cal said, his voice shaking slightly.

Connie sighed, "You already know the answer, Cal. He was right in the centre of the explosion, of course his injuries are very severe. But you know that he's in the best possible hands; I can assure you that I will be closely overseeing all of his treatment."

Cal gave a small nod, running a hand through his hair, his face creased in worry.

"Until Ethan gets out of surgery I want you to wait in the staff room, okay? You're not in any state to be working right now." Connie said gently.

Cal allowed Charlie to steer him into the staff room and sit him down on the couch. A silence hung over them as Charlie quietly made a cup of tea for Cal and placed it on the table in front of him.

"Are you okay to wait here on your own?" Charlie asked.

"...Yeah. Yeah, I'll be fine. Thanks, Charlie." Cal said, forcing a small smile.

Charlie nodded and gave a sympathetic smile before leaving Cal alone in the staff room.

Cal leant back on the couch, letting out a shaky breath and covering his face with his hands. The reality of the situation was beginning to sink in.

He was roused from his thoughts by the sound of the staff room door opening and two female voices entering.

"Hey Cal." Alicia said with a smile.

Cal tried to reply, but found himself unable to speak.

"Is everything okay?" Lily asked perceptively.

Cal shook his head slightly, his eyes fixed on the floor.

Alicia and Lily exchanged a worried look and each took a seat on either side of Cal.

"What's up, Cal?" Alicia asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"The... The bus exploded..." Cal murmured, speaking more to himself than to Lily and Alicia.

"...What?" Lily frowned, confused.

"He shouldn't have been in there, why didn't someone stop him? So stupid..."

"Cal, you're, um, not making any sense," Alicia informed him awkwardly.

Cal lifted his head and his eyes met Alicia's.

"The RTC that Ethan was sent to earlier..."

It suddenly clicked for the girls. Alicia's eyes widened, and Lily gave an audible gasp.

After a pause of disbelief, Cal spoke again, "He's in surgery right now."

"How bad are his injuries?" Lily asked, her face creased with worry.

"He... He was right in the middle of the explosion; he broke safety protocol to get the kids out. Connie said that his injuries are... Well, bad. Very bad." Cal said shakily, barely managing to hold back tears.

"'Get the kids out'?" Alicia inquired.

"It was a school bus. The fuel tank was leaking so nobody was allowed to go in, but apparently Ethan ignored protocol and got most of the kids out before it exploded."

For some unknown reason, Alicia's face suddenly grew pale.

"The school bus... Was it on the motorway heading out of Holby?" Alicia asked, standing up hastily.

"I think so... Why?" Cal said.

Without another word, Alicia turned and ran out of the staff room, the door slamming shut behind her.

This left Cal and Lily alone in the staff room, confused about Alicia and worried about Ethan.


End file.
